U.S. Geological Survey study on groundwater depletion

US Geological Survey–Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Karst groundwater management by defining protection zones based on regional geological structures and groundwater flow fields

Karst regions, occupy approximately 25% of the land surface of the earth. Karst aquifers are often major sources of water supply in these areas. However, karst aquifers are generally considered to be particularly vulnerable to pollution and anthropogenic impacts. Large withdrawals of water in karst areas for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use may competitively affect water supply in su...

United States Geological Survey

Groundwater depletion and sustainability of irrigation in the US High Plains and Central Valley.

Aquifer overexploitation could significantly impact crop production in the United States because 60% of irrigation relies on groundwater. Groundwater depletion in the irrigated High Plains and California Central Valley accounts for ~50% of groundwater depletion in the United States since 1900. A newly developed High Plains recharge map shows that high recharge in the northern High Plains result...

Evaluation of stream chemistry trends in US Geological Survey reference watersheds, 1970-2010.

The Hydrologic Benchmark Network (HBN) is a long-term monitoring program established by the US Geological Survey in the 1960s to track changes in the streamflow and stream chemistry in undeveloped watersheds across the USA. Trends in stream chemistry were tested at 15 HBN stations over two periods (1970-2010 and 1990-2010) using the parametric Load Estimator (LOADEST) model and the nonparametri...